We have entered a new generation of brand building, where the litmus test for a thriving business is ‘Does your brand deliver genuine participation?’ writes Sean Moffitt and Mike Dover in ‘Wikibrands: Reinventing your company in a customer-driven marketplace’ (www.tatamcgrawhill.com).
The authors define ‘wikibrand’ as a progressive set of organisations, products, services, ideas and causes that tap the powers of customer participation, social influence, and collaboration to drive business value. They note that, with wikibrands, the goal is to develop media hubs where users actively seek content, entertainment, information, and opportunity. For, “A new set of media channels and brand tactics that include online community development, corporate blogs, online applications, virtual worlds, private brand databases, mobile applications, brand discussion groups and forums, social networks, and message boards have evolved to a sufficient degree that brand relationships can be tailored to self-identified, interested consumers.”
Brand advocacy
While traditional brand approaches aim to optimise reach and frequency against the broadest possible market segment, wikibrands need not aspire for such democratic appeal, the authors distinguish. They remind us that wikibrands, despite being inclusive, do not give every customer’s opinion the same weight, because the degree of a customer’s knowledge, credibility, connectedness, and commitment govern his or her involvement in brand programmes.
Quite rightly, therefore, ‘brand advocacy’ is the foremost of the six benefits of wikibrands discussed in the book. Social tools have put a bullhorn in the hands of the masses, observe Moffitt and Dover. Cautiously conceding that the potential of these tools can be overplayed, the authors aver that the wikibrand Web of connected technologies can undoubtedly spread messages quickly and create excited advocates, lifelong cult followers, and tiny citizen-booster stations that amplify messages.
Out of step
It can be critical for marketers to know that their role is changing, from decision-maker to dialogue facilitator, as the book highlights. Conventional marketers are often seen as out of step with both the consumer and the rest of the company, thanks to the expansion and sophistication of sales functions, organisational customer relationship management (CRM) programmes, customer service, and e-commerce/online groups, the authors point out. “Even so, old-school marketers are still given the keys to the final brand decisions, and this is problematic.”
Although brand expression rests with marketing, the department and its agencies tend to develop creative ideas far removed from the customer experience, fret Moffitt and Dover. “The result is that 80 per cent of present-day marketers don’t influence a critical customer service function. To provide organisational value, the traditional roles of marketer and supporting agency will need to change fundamentally.”
As organisations become more transparent, the authors foresee that the core associations emanating from a brand will increasingly be derived from the firm’s own internal philosophy and business dealings. They, however, warn that such a transformation can be problematic for companies with skeletons in the closet or whose portfolios contain brands with competing values.
The reassuring message of the book is that, in the future, the company’s brand positioning statement will be as helpful in governing key internal processes – such as employee recruitment, performance management, and desirable company practices and behaviour – as for guiding external communications.
Insights of immense value to professional marketers.
